Which parts of the day do I focus on? Which color in the entirety of the day as I lay in bed and pause for gratitude? Do I choose the moments of joy? The moments of frustration? Or do I remember them all?
Appreciation:
So much clarity in life can be gained by getting outside into the woods. Some of my best thoughts have been generated on the trail, my mind seems so much more free to go wherever it needs to. Everything in life feels so much more simple.
Presence:
This evening Dominic made a surprise visit and our dinner and evening of games was awesome. So many smiles and laughs!
Funny how I’ve been working on mentally moving past labels and feel like I’m making progress… until I catch myself getting frustrated with the football team that Gavin’s team is playing against! I didn’t realize I was going to the games to support Gavin AND work on my personal growth.
Appreciation:
Presence:
One of my favorite ways to chill is to disappear into a crowd with my AirPods set to nose canceling mode in the middle of a loud and boisterous crowd. This evening I did just that, sitting amongst a crowd, yet totally removed as I watch the football game. So calming to find the stillness in the storm.
Read, re-read, re-re-read, re-re-re-read, re-re-re-re-read, re-re-re-re-re-read, and re-re-re-re-re-re-read.
After the seventh time start all over, that’s where the magic happens.
Appreciation:
What a day! From wake up until laying in bed now it’s been a nonstop thrill ride. Running under the stars with Leia, a beautiful sunrise on my drive to work, a work day so full it poured into the evening, running out to watch the Northern Lights, and now pausing to soak it all in and make sense of it all. It’s been a day full of action, now to balance it out with a day of thought… hopefully one day soon 🤪
Is there such a thing as too much clarity? When in doubt, make sure you’re on the same page. When you’re sure you’re on the same page, confirm you’re on the same page. Clarity, one of the keys to effective communication.
Appreciation:
Dinner at home with the family, what a gift! Nothing like time away from home and going in a hundred different directions to remind me how much I appreciate a family dinner at home. Nothing crazy, nothing fancy, nothing special, but perfect.
Presence:
While we were making supper I appreciated the opportunity to catch up with Becky from all that had gone on over the past few days. Being away from home really adds color to the “normal” I sometimes get almost too used to.
Change is not a threat, it’s an opportunity. Survival is not the goal, transformative success is.
Seth Godin
Appreciation:
Today I was minded of the power of discipline and follow through. As a fellow franchisee shared her story of growth over the as 20+ years. Over and over her grit and perseverance were on display. She overcame so much so many times and seemed to always find a way to become stronger as a result of each of those experiences.
While I’ve caved and crumbed to certain obstacles she blew them right up and became stronger as a result. What an inspiration to live into!
Presence:
The moment of letting my brain go as soon as I was in a place to do so was so needed after such a period of intense learning. I’m not sure that I’ve slammed that much into my brain in 48 hours in a long time. This wasn’t simple theory either, this was a combination of deep thought, long term strategy, and a metric ton of introspection. After that much “people-ing” and learning I absolutely needed an opportunity to close my eyes, listen to some chill music, and let my brain relax.
As I sat in my seat no my flight I did just that. I plugged in my AirPods, fired up Time by Hans Zimmer, closed my eyes, rested my head on the seat back, and focused on breathing. Not quite the same as yoga, but exactly what I needed to calm.
I’m not sure where to start on this one this evening, my brain is still reeling from so many excellent, insightful, uncomfortable, and useful ideas today!
If I were to distill the entire experience of today into one lesson for my future self to remember, it would likely be this…
There will always be too much going on to leave for an event like this. There will never be a good time to step away for training. There will always be too many other tasks which seem more urgent. There will usually be times your touch of social anxiety and self confidence try to talk you out of going. Take a deep breath, know you need this, know you will grow through this, know you will be better able to live into your purpose as a result of this. Know your soul will be filled by this, your spirit rekindled. Whatever the little voice in the back of your head tells you, take time to step back and invest in yourself. Make space to spend time with others, time alone, and time focused on becoming a better you. You will never regret it. Go.
Appreciation:
Finding kindred spirits and knowing you are not alone. Throughout life it seems there are moments in which we find connection never imagined at just the times we need to help remember that those fellow souls are always around us, we need only look for them. So grateful for the conversations had today to help me find more of my people!
Presence:
The moment I let myself lower my emotional guards to be open with a friend. That feeling of vulnerability, opening myself up, and sharing. So nerve wracking, so liberating. Always grateful for the sensation afterward, the opportunity to let the pressure off, to allow others to help carry my burden. Humbling, fulfilling, inspiring, and joyful all at once. Connectedness.
Our annual Express Leadership Academy alumni retreat is one of my favorite learning opportunities for a reason. Within the first two hours of actual activity I’m already stretching my brain in very uncomfortable yet productive ways. So grounding and enlightening to spend time with very successful cohorts!
Appreciation:
While this work trip provides a lot of learning opportunities with others it also provides a different type of learning as well… time alone. Sure, there is a ton of time with others, but there’s also a lot of time alone (when you count travel time like this).
In so many ways I’m reminded of my solo backpacking trip from last spring. Time alone with my thoughts, time in which I’m more exposed to myself than normal when I have so many potential distractions to grab my attention. I’m uncomfortably alone, in the space where growth seems to come more quickly!
Presence:
In order to get to the airport with plenty of time to spare I was up and out of the house long before the sun rose. This meant I had the opportunity to drive under a sky full of stars and then watch the black shift to purple to orange to sunlit. What a beautiful transition!
As someone close to us once said about coming over for supper, they thought to themselves, “I know I’ll enjoy my time with Mike and Becky, but I’d rather stay home alone.” By the time they admitted this to us they said they were glad they’d come over, it was so much more enjoyable and satisfying.
Their moment of honesty has stuck with me as I’ve caught myself thinking similar thoughts from time to time. As this friend learned, I’m usually walking away very appreciative for the opportunity.
Appreciation:
Becky and I enjoyed our evening of camping and hit the trail early this morning. Waking up in a camper, enjoying a cup of coffee in the woods, and then hitting the trails early…. and doing it all with Becky…. Perfect way to start a morning!
Presence:
At the wedding reception we attended this evening there was a sublime moment of levity.
As the new groom started to thank everyone for coming he said, “My wife and I…”
He then giggled and squealed, “You’re my wife!!!” and proceeded to laugh with the utmost joy in the moment of realization of what had just happened.
I was planning on finishing up the audiobook I’ve been reading lately while I drove to Eau Claire today, but instead I opted for some music… exactly what my soul needed! As I kept enjoying the tunes I ended up skipping the reading for the entire 180 minutes of driving, it was all music all the time.
Increased productivity through audiobooks is great, but sometimes I need to remember to take a moment to chill and let my mind wander a bit. It almost feels as if I’m trying to pack in a little too much and by taking a step back I’m able to better take in the info. Almost like listening to music wrongs out the sponge so I can absorb more again.
Appreciation:
How awesome was this crazy thoughtful gift???
Soooooo excited to take the camper van to add in more trees!!!
Today I had the opportunity to sit in on a couple of CEO roundtable discussions focused on what we are all facing in the economy currently. By spending so much more time listening than speaking there was so much to learn from the participants – both business acumen AND leadership. There were several moments when I caught myself enjoying their perspectives and soaking in the examples they set in what they said and what they didn’t say. I took many notes from the discussions, they were about fifty fifty split between the economy and their styles. Listening, what a way to learn!
Appreciation:
I’ve blogged about this topic or something like it in the past, but it is definitely worth writing about again. I am so grateful I don’t travel for work all the time. For sure, I love travel, it is one of my favorite things in the world. It’s just not the ideal lifestyle for work.
Here I am, a week or so away from the trip and my brain keeps going back to what I need to do to be ready for it. What do I need to pack? What do I need to have ready in advance? Did I make all the reservations correctly? What happens if the travel gods do not smile upon me, what’s the back up plan? Even my dreams have returned to the chaos filled moments of nervousness about forgetting something for the trip. The past couple of nights I’ve woken up feeling not nearly as well rested as I normally due thanks in part to the breakneck pace of those dreams.
I’ll be fine, the reason for the trip is awesome, and I’m very happy to go to the event. The stress before the trip is always a little more than I’d like, but just enough to remind me to be grateful for spending 99+% of my work nights at home.
Presence:
After our CEO roundtables I got back to my office, closed the door, and took five minutes to relax. I set my sand timer on it’s top and did nothing but breathe as I watched the grains slowly drop into the bottom of the timer. The past handful of days have been absolutely packed, largely with people related work. It’s been very fulfilling and I’ve enjoyed it immensely, but I also realized that I haven’t had any time to myself to just pause and think. My attitude is so much lighter when I have more pockets of solo time, the one type I’ve been missing over the past few days. Those five minutes of stillness alone in my office were exactly what I needed to get my brain back on track.
Thankful for Forty 